MORE tragic lions like Cecil will be turned into hunting trophies after EU officials refused an import ban.

Despite global outrage of the killing of the big cat by an American hunter, Brussels is to continue allowing mounted lion heads, skins, claws and teeth to brought back to Europe.

There were hopes that a trophy import ban would be put into place for countries where lions are hanging on to existence, but after a meeting of the EU's Scientific Review Group, officials say lion trophies can continue to be brought back to Europe from Tanzania and Zambia.

You cannot help preserve lions by shooting them

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder

It has also been agreed that lion trophies can also still be brought back from Zimbabwe.

It was there that Cecil was illegally killed by American dentist Walter Palmer after being lured from the sanctuary of a nature refuge.

The EU has introduced a ban on lion trophies from West African states although they can still be brought in from a number of countries in the east and south of the lion's African range, where it is said that hunting them is "sustainable".

Between 2004 and 2014, 237 lion trophies were brought into the EU.

Spain, Germany and France were the main importers. Conservationists say lions are disappearing fast in Tanzania.

Numbers there have declined by two-thirds since 1993, with opponents saying that trophy hunting is a contributor to the losses alongside habitat destruction and poaching.

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The Tanzanian government as well as Zambia claim trophy hunting can help conserve wildlife if it is properly managed.

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder strongly criticised the EU decision which came a month after a report by the UN Environment Programme showing that lion numbers have plummeted in Tanzania and Zambia and that trophy hunting has contributed significantly to population declines.

"After the tragic killing of Cecil the lion there was a real global momentum behind ending the unsustainable hunting of this majestic animal," she said.

"Yet this week's decision shows that the status quo prevails.

"The arguments in favour of trophy hunting do not stack up: you cannot help preserve lions by shooting them. In the long-term, far more money will be made through safari tourism and ensuring this species survives for future generations.

"I am urging the EU's Scientific Review Group to reconsider this move at its next meeting in December and ensure decisions are made on the basis of scientific evidence, not political pressure."

Her comments were echoed by Dr Pieter Kat, co-founder of LionAid.

He said: "LionAid visited Brussels before the SRG meeting to discuss the sustainability of lion trophy imports from Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. We again provided much scientific evidence to demonstrate that lion populations are in catastrophic and continuous decline in all lion range states.

"It is disappointing that it appears from the outcome that political agendas superseded scientific evidence.

We are seeking an urgent meeting with the EU Commission to determine on what justifiable grounds these decisions were made, and to strongly urge that the December SRG meeting reconsiders their conclusions."

EPA

Cecil the Lion was shot dead in a poaching incident

The European Commission today confirmed that lions trophies will still be allowed from Zimbabwe despite the Cecil case.

Officials reiterated its postion, saying that lion trophies from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Ethiopia are currently suspended, while imports from the Central African Republic, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan and Zambia will need to be scrutinised with great attention.

"The SRG reviewed the situation of imports from Zimbabwe in December 2014 and concluded, based on the scientific information available, that imports of lion trophies from that country were sustainable.

"The SRG will continue to monitor the situation carefully," said the Commission.

NC

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Animal rights protestors across the world seized on the incident to highlight illegal poaching